First, to the section - Jinhai, Cedric, Guosheng, Michele, Jieying, Firdaus and anyone else I've missed out - & Erina for the surprise last Tues! Pleasantly unexpected, tasty cake and gem of two CDs!
To those who sent messages on phone/FB- thanks lots too!
Last but not least, to Erina who'd spent countless agonising hours trying to make everything turn out well, the staycation, the surprise cupcakes, the bag,the lovely card, all the effort, time and sweat spent - you deserve all the hugs I can possibly give!
*HUGS*
Thank you!
-------------
This coming Friday will see the 4th installment of Da Capo.
Attended the screening with Erina @ Substation over the weekend.
Aside from a mildly disturbing (Erina will disagree though) intro, the main programme dished up an enjoying mix of local short films.
(1) We, the real people of Singapore
The idea of having people providing stories and re-telling them in motion is as new as last week's fresh bake. Yet to select six out of a 100+ stories, script them out and weave them together into an overall narrative structure has its challenges. Authencity aside (I haven't heard of a male pre-school/nursary educator), the flow of the film was well-handled, beginning with the monotony of a day's start, and ending with an excerpt of romantic overtones. The transitions are one of the technical highlights of the film, while the personal favourites are the anecdotes about the boy who took those jibes about being fat in his stride as well as the concluding mini-story. Now, will someone tell me which is the MRT station-cum-bus interchange that has a small ridge next to it where you can catch a beautiful sunset?
(2) National Day
This is perhaps the one that evoked those deep personal emotions, for in Wei, perhaps I saw a bit of myself - outwardly oblivious and inert to the little abrasions in life but inwardly retaining that sense of acute awareness of the little things that matter. No fancy cinematographic effects or post-editing, just an attempt that tugs the heartstrings.
(3) Kissing Faces
Radically different from the previous. Starts with a portrayal of romantic life-of-two in the shape of a Hokkien Karaoke MTV and rapidly degenerates from there (the progatonist's story, not the quality of the film itself). The monologue tells of a separation forced by the promise of a better life abraod, the happier and more unpleasant past, and the hesitation of leaving behind the current arrangement. Building upon neon lights and 'jumps' in scenes, the film is probably let down (IMO anyway) by a lack of research on KTV hostesses, but I presume this allows the director to have a little more room to work with. Sometimes, history and truth can constrain...
(4) à la folie (Like Crazy)
...which I think is the case here as well, which is the director's re-interpretation of Ramayana. Without the baggage of the stories that is Ramayana, there is no attempt to draw comparisons to the original. What I found personally refereshing is the attempt by the director in infusing elements of the different faces that make up Little India. In particular, the scenes which the female protagonist shared with the two female foreign workers provided much food for thought into the psyche of love.
The occasional forays into non-mainstream works are indeed enjoyable and insight-provoking. What an accomplishment it would be, to be able to make and produce your own film!